Veterans, Abortion and Right Wing hypocrisy

Commentary By Ron Beasley

The right wingers are pro life until the baby is born but then it and it's family is on their own when it comes to medical care or proper diet or living conditions that would allow a life worth living - hypocrisy!  

The same can be said for the right wing support the troops meme.  They support the troops by sending them off to illegal and unnecessary wars then once they have served they are on their own - hypocrisy! An excellent article in the New York Times brings this front a center today.

Gen. Eric Shinseki was famously shunned by the Bush administration for daring to state the true costs of occupying Iraq. As President Obama’s secretary of veterans affairs, he is, thankfully, no less candid about the grinding problems veterans face at home. They lead the nation in depression, suicide, substance abuse and homelessness, according to data that Mr. Shineski is delivering in salvos in his current role.

About one-third of all adult homeless men are veterans, and an average night finds an estimated 131,000 of them from five decades bedding down on streets and in charity sanctuaries. About 3 in 100 of them are back from Iraq and Afghanistan. The problem of homelessness for Vietnam veterans is, shamefully, well known. But the men and women in this growing cohort took just 18 months to find rock bottom, compared with the five years-plus of the previous generation’s veterans.

I am a Vietnam era veteran and I did all right but many of my friends and relatives did not fair so well.  Many of them came back drug and or alcohol addicted and were never able to reenter society.  I thought it was bad then but it's must worse now.

General Shinseki has promised to galvanize the Department of Veterans Affairs to lead a national drive to end veteran homelessness in the next five years. Is that anywhere near possible? “Unless I put an ambitious target on the table, I don’t know how we’ll start,” the secretary told a forum of wounded veterans.

[.....]

We believe he has the mettle to pull this off. He will need a lot of help from the White House, Congress and communities across the country. The general-turned-secretary is appealing to thousands of worthy organizations already in the field to double their efforts to help.

Our veterans shouldn’t be forced to battle on their own just to survive at home.

Comments

[Steve Hynd]

What were you thinking when that pic was taken, Ron? It looks like the cares of the world are on your shoulders and behind your eyes.

My best wishes to you and you have my utmost respect, this and any day.

Regards, Steve

[Ron Beasley]

Steve
This was taken on my second day in the Army. I had gone from a care free college student to a member of the Army overnight in the middle of a war no less. I suspect I was in shock.